Women's Bill: SP, RJD withdraw support from UPA govt

Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal members today withdrew support from the UPA government, after strongly opposing the Women's Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha. However, the government is determined to get the bill passed in Parliament.

Congress is holding a high-level strategy meeting at 10 Janpath.

So far, 27 SP and RJD MPs have pulled out. However, the withdrawal is not going to make any impact on the government as they are not part of it.

Protesting the bill outside the Parliament, the two leaders declared their decision to pull out.

We take back support to the UPA government over women's bill, Lalu Prasad Yadav said to the mediapersons.

RJD and SP together have 16 members in Rajya Sabha.

Earlier, SP, BSP and RJD members today strongly opposed the Women's Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha, with one of them even trying to climb the Speaker's podium, leading to adjournment of the House till lunch.

The Bill, slated to be introduced in the Rajya Sabha, created storm in the Lok Sabha soon after Speaker Meira Kumar welcomed a Croatian delegation and read out a reference on International Women's Day.

The moment Kumar called for Question Hour, SP, BSP and RJD members trooped into the Well demanding quotas for OBC, Dalit and Muslim women within the proposed law to reserve 33 per cent seats in Parliament and State assemblies for the fair sex.

The Speaker refused to adjourn the House and carried on with the Question Hour. SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav gestured his party members to move forward and himself marched to the Well from the side of the treasury benches. Dara Singh Chauhan (BSP) and Lalu Prasad and Umashanker Singh (both RJD) followed Yadav.

At this moment, Mithilesh Kumar (SP) tried to climb the table placed in front of the Speaker prompting Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee to request Yadav to control his members.

On the SP chief's directive, the members retreated a bit but stayed put in the Well and continued to raise slogans.